Network of Places and Sites of the “Iron Curtain”

The second half of the 20th century was dominated by the struggle between capitalism and communism, manifesting itself as the “Iron Curtain,” the border that cut through the middle of Germany and Europe.

Today, more than two decades since the end of the Cold War, few sites still exist that can convey an impression of the political, economic, and, most notably, military dividing line that existed at that time. Young people in particular have difficulty grasping the reality of this confrontation which embodied the daily threat of a nuclear inferno with the capacity to destroy a large expanse of our planet.

The network of places and sites of the “Iron Curtain” connects institutions and places that represent typical aspects from the cold-war confrontation as it played out in Germany. It is their aim to teach younger generations about this threat and to show how it was overcome.